Health officials look to extend smoking ban around county buildings

Cowlitz County officials plan to make the entire health department campus — including the parking lot — smoke free this year and are considering eventually extending that to all county buildings.
Smoking is already banned inside county buildings by a state law that also prohibits smoking within 25 feet of entrances or windows. The new ban, which still must be formally approved by county commissioners in January, would mean smoking is now off-limits anywhere on the health department property.
Health officials said it's the right thing to do given their mandate to improve the county's overall health.
"Part of our job is to walk our talk, whether that comes to exercising more or going tobacco-free," said Carlos Carreon, the county's director of health and human services. St. John Medical Center, for example, also has a tobacco-free campus.
Smoking in particular plagues Cowlitz County, which has much higher smoking rates for both adults and teens than state averages. Pathways 2020, a coalition dedicated to improving the county's quality of life, earlier this year gave the county an "F" grade for the number of pregnant smokers and "D" grades for the number of adult smokers and asthma rates.
Health officials polled employees about the change and also talked with other counties, including Mason and Pierce, who have similar bans either at their health department or for their entire county. Local employees overwhelmingly supported the ban in the poll.
Officials plan to post signs about the new policy including asking drivers to extinguish any cigarettes before getting out of their cars. A picnic table on the property also will be off limit to smokers. They also will enforce the policy as "gently" as possible and officials plan to work with human resources "because we realize tobacco is an addiction," Carreon said.
The ban discussed last week deals only with the health and human services property at 1952 9th Ave., in Longview. But, health officials said they hope to eventually expand the measure to all county buildings.
"The long-term goal is to maybe expand it county-wide," Carreon said.
Commissioner Axel Swanson said it's worth investigating, though he cautioned there may be more details that need to be worked out.
"We'll see how it works out (at the health department) but I'd definitely support looking at it countywide," Swanson said.
Commissioner Kathleen Johnson, for example, wondered if such a ban would extend to the cab of a county-owned truck. She also took exception to a line in the proposed health department policy that said employees breaking the policy face discipline including possible termination. Johnson wondered if that would pass muster with the county's unions if the ban was eventually extended to other buildings.
"I support the idea of the health department being a jumping off point, but if we're going to extend this across the board there may be other issues," Johnson said.
Carreon said the health department union representative was involved in drafting the health department's policy. He'll run it by the county's legal and personnel teams, though, to double check.

Altria spent nearly $2.7 million in 3rd quarter lobbying on health care, cigarette trafficking

Altria Client Services Inc., on behalf of the nation’s biggest cigarette maker, spent nearly $2.7 million in the third quarter to lobby the federal government on legislation involving health care issues and cigarette trafficking, according to a recent disclosure form.
Altria also lobbied on legislation involving taxes, and a climate bill to create clean energy jobs and reduce greenhouse gases in the July-September period, according to the report filed Oct. 20 with the House clerk’s office.
Richmond, Va.-based Altria Group Inc. owns Marlboro maker Philip Morris USA and UST Inc., the U.S. leader in smokeless tobacco with brands such as Copenhagen and Skoal.

5 million: Yearly tobacco deaths

Tobacco smoking kills at least 5 million people around the planet every year -- 600,000 of them from breathing secondhand smoke -- the World Health Organization reported last week. The death toll could rise to 8 million per year by 2030, mostly in low-income, low-education, developing countries, the U.N. agency said.
This is a terrible waste of human lives, stemming from a drug addiction that brings no benefit, only a plague of illnesses.
Nearly 170 nations ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2003, pledging to protect their populations from the worst preventable health menace, but results have been paltry, especially in the poor Third World.Education and prosperity are the best cures for nicotine addiction. "Smoking levels naturally drop off -- as they have in Western countries -- when populations become richer and better-educated," a report noted.
Sadly, rural West Virginia has America's worst rate of deadly cigarette use, a new U.S. study found last month. With lower income and learning levels, mountain folk are prime victims of the curse that causes cancer, heart disease, emphysema and other ills.
The U.S. report, by the Centers for Disease Control, pointed out that "41.3 percent of persons with a GED certificate smoked cigarettes, compared to 5.7 percent of persons with a graduate degree. . . . Smoking rates among low-income adults enrolled in Medicaid programs are much higher than the general population (33 percent to 19 percent)."
State Sen. Dan Foster, D-Kanawha -- a physician -- wants to add $1 per pack to West Virginia's cigarette tax for a double-benefit: to raise $100 million state revenue and save teenagers from getting hooked on nicotine. Bravo. We hope he draws solid support in the Legislature.
As for adults, each smoker ultimately faces a solitary challenge. It's up to the individual puffer to decide whether to go through the agonizing struggle to break free from one of the strongest addictions. It takes courage and willpower, but we hope more West Virginians bravely make the effort.

$2K in cigarettes stolen from store

Have you seen a Marlboro man?
Police are investigating a burglary at the Pine Tree General Store on Route 1 this week involving the theft of more than 30 cartons of cigarettes.
Police were called to the store at 9:47 p.m. Monday, on a report that the front door had been smashed in and someone was inside the store.
When police arrived, they did not find anyone inside the store. They asked for a state police K9 unit, which followed a track north on Route 1; the dog subsequently lost the scent.
It was later determined that 34 cartons of cigarettes — most of them Marlboros — were stolen, with a total value of $2,190.
No cash was taken from the register nor did other items appear to have been stolen.

Officers seize cigarettes in market raid

THOUSANDS of illicit cigarettes have been seized by customs officials from peddlers at Bathgate Market.
The West Lothian market was targeted during a four-day blitz by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) officials last week, which found almost 92,000 cigarettes being sold at premises throughout the central belt.
Five kilograms of rolling tobacco and 2,000 cigarettes were seized in a BMW car at Bathgate Market as part of operation Dog Wood Prize.
The revenue loss to crooks from the four-day operation is estimated to be £21,554.
HMRC officers were supported by British Transport Police and Lothian & Borders and Strathclyde forces during the raids.
A police spokeswoman said: "The proceeds from this kind of sale are more than likely going to fund serious and organised crime."

Ky. ranks low in anti-smoking spending

A report by anti-smoking groups is ranking Kentucky 40th among states in the amount of money spent to persuade people to quit or never start smoking.
The report says Kentucky spends $3.9 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. The report says that total is far below the amount recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kentucky ranked 41st last year. The slight bump is due to an increase in federal funding for Kentucky cessation programs.
The report was released recently by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Lung Association, the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Indiana has nation's 2nd highest smoking rate

Indiana has the second highest smoking rate in the nation, with more than one in four Hoosier adults lighting up last year, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Indiana, which has no statewide smoking ban, was sixth-worst in the nation in 2007. Though the national rate of cigarette smokers decreased by about 1 percent between 2006 and 2007, Indiana and Illinois each saw increases last year. Indiana's rates are higher than Illinois, which has smoking bans in place and has the 13th-highest state smoking rate.
"There's less harassment of smokers in Indiana than there is in other states," said Samuel Flint, interim dean of Indiana University Northwest's School of Public and Environmental Affairs. "Indiana has more of a tradition of personal freedoms than public safety. That is what is competing."
One way to reduce smoking in Indiana could be a state law prohibiting smoking indoors.
"If smoking gets to be more expensive and there are fewer places to do it, it pushes the marginal smoker to quitting," Flint said.
State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, told The Times he plans to introduce a statewide public smoking ban proposal when the General Assembly convenes in January.
The House approved a smoking ban last session, but the measure died in the Senate. That proposal would have banned smoking in restaurants and most workplaces, but it was amended to exempt most bars, tobacco shops, private clubs and casinos.
Brown said his new proposal will exempt casinos from the beginning in hopes of getting it passed.
"They were the strongest opposers last year. They paid everyone out in the hall to track that for them to make sure nothing went in," Brown said, describing the lobbying tactics.
In the GOP-led Senate, anti-smoking proponents refused to support a smoking ban with so many exemptions, while other senators were concerned about the effects of a smoking ban on Hoosier businesses.
"Studies have shown a business going smoke-free will not lose any revenue or customers as a result of that," Brown said. "But that's the hue and cry here, that we don't want to negatively impact a business."
But for Round The Clock restaurant in Schererville, customers were not happy when management discussed making the location smoke-free, said George Guirgus. He is the manager of the Highland location that already has gone smoke-free. The Schererville location kept its smoking and nonsmoking sections.
"Fifty percent of our customers there smoke," said Giurgus, 42. "We do not like to upset our customers, so we don't want to change (that) location to smoke-free before the government changes it. If the state changed it, we agree with it."
The transition from smoking to nonsmoking went smoothly this month for Aurelio's Pizza in Schererville. Owner David Scheidt, 36, said he lost some business from smokers but also attracted more nonsmokers.
"It's pretty much evened out," Scheidt said. "I think in the long run it will serve us better."
Scheidt said if the state does not pass a smoking ban, cities and towns are going to enact their own bans such as Crown Point did last year. He said he banned smoking in the restaurant because it's a family dining spot.
"When you have a section where people are smoking 10 feet from an infant, it was pretty much a no-brainer for us," he said.
But some smokers, including 31-year-old Doug Domberg, say the government should think twice before banning smoking.
"To tell me I can't smoke in any public place is wrong," said Domberg, who manages CDO Tobacco in Highland. "(Nonsmokers) can have their section, but they can't take away all my sections."
Domberg said the store, which serves about 200 customers each day, opened a smoking lounge last year to offer smokers a place to enjoy cigars and cigarettes indoors.
"A lot of people always complain about having to go outside to smoke," Domberg said. "You already have restaurants who say you can't smoke there. (Smokers) can't smoke unless they're at their house, and even then their wives will still give them crap."
The lounge offers wireless Internet service, couches, a refrigerator and television. Domberg deemed it the "coffeehouse of cigars."
If the state were to ban smoking in public places, Domberg said he would put up a "members only" sign.
"To have that luxury -- especially with cigar smokers -- they'll have no problem paying something small so they can sit and smoke their cigar in peace and not get hassled," Domberg said, describing how many patrons bring coffee or sandwiches to the lounge.
The lounge has a filter that sucks in smoky air and releases clean air, and Domberg said it makes the store air cleaner than unfiltered air in a nonsmoking area.
With or without air filters, Domberg said he has not had any smoke-related health problems in the more than 13 years he has smoked.
"Fast food is going to kill you faster than smoking will," he said.
Scientific reports on the adverse health effects of secondhand smoke gave states the authority to ban smoking, Flint, the IUN dean said, especially when concerning people who work at smoking establishments.
"Those are the folks who are victimized by allowing smoking in enclosed places," Flint said. "Employees don't have the luxury of choice."
Staff writer Dan Carden contributed to this report.
Indiana Smoking Statistics
26.1 percent of Hoosier adults smoked last year
24.1 percent of Hoosier adults smoked in 2007
55.7 percent of Hoosier smokers had on average 15 to 25 cigarettes a day in 2000
Indiana has no statewide ban on smoking, leaving that decision to local government.

Electronic ciggies set to give agents a healthy income

A Long Crendon man is looking for local agents to sell healthier alternatives to tobacco products called 'electronic cigarettes', which he believes are set to take off in Britain.
Martin Whelan is an independent distributor for inLife, an American company now looking to expand in Europe.
He said the firm's e-cigarettes, which deliver nicotine without the harmful toxins found in tobacco smoke, present a golden business opportunity for people.
He claims part-time agents can earn up to £500- £1000 per month, while full-timers can make as much as £10, 000 in the same period.
"I am looking for people to work with me, I help train them up to promote it to wider people and establish their own business," he said. 
Electronic cigarettes are not tobacco products, although they are designed to look and feel like conventional cigarettes.
As they do not produce any smoke, they can be consumed in pubs and other places affected by the smoking ban. Health charity ASH says they 'are likely to be a safer alternative to smoking'.
It is also claimed that inLife's e-cigarettes can save a 20-a-day smoker around £700 a year. 
Mr Whelan, who is a non-smoker, said: "There's ten million smokers in the UK so there is a lot of business opportunity here. 
"With all the smoking bans and everything like that, but there is no problem with electronic cigarettes. Places like bingo halls are a massive market for the business. They will bring trade back into pubs.
"We are right at the beginning of something. It is not going to have the scale of the mobile phone, but it's that kind of thing. And we have got a few celebrities using them now which is useful, it really, really helps."
Amanda Sandford, research manager at ASH, said: "We are hesitant to recommend e-cigarettes, we are not going that far, but on the face of it they do seem a less hazourdous option than smoking. "

Smoking Cessation Classes Set To Begin

In Idaho 16.8% of people smoke. Although that is lower than the national average of 20 % It's a number that's still too high for the Southeastern District Health Department.
Rose Sterner, Smoked for 43 Years: "Sitting down having a cup of coffee and a cigarette was our way of life."
But, after 43 years of smoking Rose has now been tobacco free for 2 years.
Rose Sterner: "It was a lot of money, it was a lot of lost time and hopefully I'm not going to have to pay for the time I blew that way."
Rose and her husband quit with the help of a free tobacco cessation program put on by the Southeastern District Health Department.
Traci Lambson, Health Education Specialist: "It's a class that'll give you the tools so you can quit when you're ready."
The tools include education about tobacco and helps smokers find the best way to quit for them, be it cold turkey or with the help of medication to squash the addiction.
Traci Lambson: "Anytime you couple any class with nicotine replacement therapy your chances of remaining tobacco free are even greater."
Rose Sterner: "It's got to be between your ears, you've got to want to do this."
For Rose and her husband it's given them a new lease of life; a life that no longer revolves around cigarettes.
Rose Sterner: "I don't think I'd go back to smoking. It has no interest to me."

MSMC campus store ceases sale of cigarettes

The campus store at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh is ending the sales of cigarettes permanently. The termination coincides with the Great American Smokeout today.
College Vice President for Student Development Harry Steinway said stopping the sales makes an important statement to students.
Removing the butts from the shelves may impact the store’s bottom line, Steinway acknowledged.
“There are a fair number of students, but not only students, there are employees who purchase tobacco products, so I think it will put a little dent in daily sales, but maybe candy bar sales or granola bars will pick it up and we’ll see what happens,” he said.
The health benefits far outweigh any potential economic costs to the store, Steinway said.
The college’s health Services and community health nursing students will be providing information to help students stop smoking during the Great American Smokeout.

Fewer minors purchasing cigarettes

A sales compliance survey shows a decrease in tobacco sales to Wisconsin minors, Gov. Jim Doyle announced Monday.
The 2009 Synar survey shows the number of retail outlets that sell tobacco illegally to minors went down by 20 percent. In 2008, roughly 7.2 percent of stores sold tobacco to minors; in 2009, only 5.7 percent did not comply with the law.
Doyle thanked retailers for their work against minor consumption and possession of tobacco products.
"In Wisconsin, we are working hard to protect our kids from the scourge of tobacco," Doyle said. "Our state has a long history of preventing youth tobacco sales and I'm pleased our efforts are paying off."
The Synar surveys randomly selected retail outlets throughout Wisconsin to try to get an accurate snapshot of statewide compliance.
2009 is the seventh straight year that Wisconsin has been below the target rate of 20 percent noncompliance.

Tobacco Quit line Helps First Half-Million Callers

A free telephone service that helps Californians kick the smoking habit – funded by tobacco taxes approved by California voters and operated by the University of California, San Diego – reached a milestone today as the 500,000th person called for service.
1-800-NO-BUTTS, also known as the California Smokers’ Helpline, has been helping callers since 1992, when it became the nation’s first statewide “quit line.” Today, all 50 states offer similar services as part of efforts to reduce tobacco’s toll on the public health.
“The fact that half a million Californians have called for help shows how badly people want to quit,” said Christopher Anderson, program director for the Helpline. “When you see a person who’s still smoking, despite all the information about negative health effects, you might think they don’t want to quit. But, more often than not, they just don’t know how to go about it or don’t feel confident in their ability to quit. We help them come up with a good plan and stick to it.”
The Helpline provides free, confidential service to more than 30,000 callers annually, including self-help materials, referral to local programs, and one-on-one telephone counseling. Callers who choose counseling receive up to two hours of tailored assistance spread out over five calls. Services are available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Vietnamese.
“Reaching the milestone of half a million callers is remarkable, but we have a long way to go,” said Shu-Hong Zhu, PhD, principal investigator for the Helpline. He added that there are still about four million smokers in California, and tobacco use remains the leading cause of premature death and disease. “Concerted efforts are needed to encourage more quitting among smokers and tobacco chewers.”
According to the 2005 California Tobacco Survey, 62 percent of smokers were advised by a doctor to quit smoking, but only 33 percent of those were referred to a quit smoking program.
The Helpline has experienced a big increase in referrals by health care providers, from six percent of callers in 1992 to nearly 44 percent today. Still, the Helpline wants to see more intervention by medical personnel.
“We are asking health care professionals to get more involved and help spread the word about available cessation services,” said Kristin Harms, communications manager for the Helpline. “We recommend the ‘Ask, Advise, Refer’ approach: ask your patients if they smoke or use chewing tobacco, advise those who do to quit, and refer them to 1-800-NO-BUTTS for effective help.”
Research has shown that patients who are advised to quit are more likely to try, and that those who receive telephone counseling are twice as likely to be successful.

Man charged with stealing computer, cigarettes

An Iowa City man has been arrested on charges for participating in several thefts and burglaries, including stealing 350 packs of cigarettes from a Tiffin store.Eli James Vargason, 18, 1112 Hotz Ave., was charged with third-degree theft, possession of marijuana and drunken driving after he was pulled over for an expired registration about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. According to the arrest reports, police found a computer case with a mini laptop computer inside that had been reported stolen from a Tiffin man and marijuana.
He was then considered a suspect in other ongoing burglary investigations, including an Oct. 31 break-in at the Casey's General Store in Tiffin in which Vargason allegedly smashed the front glass door and took about 350 packs of cigarettes, police said. He was charged with third-degree burglary for that break-in, police said.
Vargason remained Friday in the Johnson County Jail on a $16,000 cash bond.

Reynolds raising cigarette prices

A decline in demand is not keeping R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. from raising the list price on its cigarette brands by 6 cents or 8 cents a pack for wholesale customers.The price increase, announced yesterday, will take effect Monday. 
David Howard, a spokesman for Reynolds, said that the company doesn’t comment on its pricing strategy, but the decision comes five days after Philip Morris USA announced a price increase of 6 cents a pack, which went into effect yesterday.
Reynolds is raising list prices less than a week after reporting that its cigarette-shipment volume fell 11 percent in the third quarter to 20.6 billion cigarettes. Reynolds said that the industry decline was 12.6 percent.
Howard said that the list price is increasing 6 cents a pack for its growth brands - Camel and Pall Mall - and also for Doral, GPC, Kool, Misty, Salem and Winston. All but GPC are considered as support brands.
The list price is being raised 8 cents a pack for its other brands, which include Capri, Eclipse, Lucky Strike, More and Vantage. 
Charles Norton, the portfolio manager of the USA Mutuals Vice Fund, said that Reynolds is likely to be able to sustain the third price increase related to its cigarettes since September 2007. 
In March, Reynolds raised the list price in the range of 41 cents to 78 cents a pack for wholesale customers, including 41 cents to 44 cents for most of its growth and support brands. 
The increase was in response to Congress passing the 62-cent increase in the federal excise tax to pay for expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. That tax increase went into effect April 1.
In September 2007, Reynolds raised its cigarette prices by a range of 5 cents to 15 cents a pack, including 15 cents for Camel. 
“Strong pricing power is one of the underpinnings of our positive view of tobacco, which is a much more important driver of earnings than volume,“ Norton said.
Reynolds said in its third-quarter report that it had a slight market-share drop in cigarettes to 28.2 percent. The market share for Camel, the lead Reynolds cigarette brand, dipped slightly to 7.7 percent. Pall Mall’s market share was at 5 percent, up 2.3 percentage points from a year ago.
A temporary price discount in the spring on Pall Mall attracted smokers wanting to spend less on cigarettes in the recession. Even after the discount ended in May and prices were raised to counter the excise-tax increases, Pall Mall maintained a higher market share. The company began another discount promotion for Pall Mall on Oct. 5. 
Reynolds also raised its full-year earnings projections last week to a range of $4.60 to $4.70 a share - from $4.40 to $4.60 - as a sign of confidence in its strategies.

Officials bust two stores for selling cigarettes to minors

Employees at two stores were ticketed Tuesday for selling tobacco to minors after town and state officials conducted an undercover operation.
An employee from the Tobacconist of Greenwich, at 8 Havemeyer Place, and the Oriental Market, at 214 Sound Beach Avenue, were cited for sale of tobacco to a minor under 18, an infraction that comes with a $200 fine.
The employee cited at the Oriental Market was Linda Chan, 54, of 403155 Henry St., New York, N.Y. Michael Cafagno, 23, of 560 Locust Ave., Port Chester, N.Y., was cited for selling to a minor while working at the Tobacconist of Greenwich.
Nineteen other establishments were subject to announced visits Tuesday and passed, police said.
The operation was managed by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Tobacco Prevention and Enforcement program, who utilized an underaged youth, employed by the program, to enter establishments and attempt to buy tobacco.It is against state law to sell tobacco products to minors.
It is also against the law for minors to possess, smoke or use tobacco products in public as of Oct. 2008.
The two stores that failed the test will also be subject to administrative sanctions from the Department of Revenue Services, the state agency that issues cigarette dealer licenses.
Police said these types of undercover checks take place periodically throughout the year in town.

No tobacco advertising at newspaper hawker stalls from November 1

Hong Kong (HKSAR) - The Tobacco Control Office (TCO) of the Department of Health reminded licensed newspaper hawkers that the exemption for display of tobacco advertisements at their stalls would be revoked on November 1. "There will be no exemption from the tobacco advertising ban thereafter," a spokesman said. Under the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance, no person shall display, publish, distribute, broadcast, exhibit by film or place on the Internet any tobacco advertisement.
Offenders are liable to a fine of up to $50,000 and in case of a continuing offence, to a further penalty of $1,500 for each day the offence continues. "We have written to all licensed newspaper hawkers and their trade associations to remind them of the repeal of exemption, and to remove all tobacco advertisements before November 1," the spokesman said. He called for the co-operation of licensed newspaper hawkers to enable the smooth implementation of the ordinance.
To increase awareness of all licensed newspaper hawkers and the public of the revocation of exemption, the TCO has mounted a publicity programme comprising radio announcements, advertisements via Internet and pamphlet distribution to licensed newspaper hawkers during inspections. Up to September this year, the TCO had received 29 complaints about tobacco advertisements and took enforcement action in eight cases of illegal advertising. Some of the 2009 complaints are still under investigation.

Two arrested in illegal tobacco swoop

TWO people have been arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle enough tobacco to make 800,000 cigarettes.
The suspected contraband – weighing 400 kg – was discovered in the back of a people carrier at Plymouth Ferry Port. 
A 46-year-old man and a 71- year-old woman, both from the Durham area, were arrested at the scene and interviewed by investigators from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
They have been released on police bail until January 26.The case is being handled by HMRC criminal investigators and enquiries are ongoing. 
The revenue evaded is estimated at about £46,000. UK Border Agency officers swooped on Saturday night, after the people carrier disembarked a ferry arriving in Plymouth from Roscoff, France. 
Due to the size of the haul, HMRC agents were called in to investigate and interview the pair.
Bob Gaiger, of HMRC said the seizure was probably the biggest seen in Plymouth so far this year.

Tobacco Trust Fund grants available

Innovative projects that address agricultural issues and the needs of communities and farmers affected by the changes in the tobacco industry can apply now for grant funds. The North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission in Raleigh has announced its next grant cycle and is accepting applications until Dec. 4. Grant winners will be announced by May 1, 2010.Previous grants include farmer’s market renovations, new crop research, agricultural marketing campaigns and assistance for unemployed workers to improve job skills. The NCTTFC also funds programs designed to decrease farm energy costs, assist value-added producers and provide research on brambles, improved pasture grazing and strawberry season extension.

12 years for violent robbers

Two men, who went on a robbery spree and terrorized two families in May 2005, have been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment each by the Lautoka High Court.
In his ruling, Judge Justice Paul Madigan noted that 25 year old Isei Turagakula and 22 year old Manasa Volau embarked on a night of violent action on May 22nd, 2005.
The two first entered the home of a Surendra Prasad at 1:30am and threatened the occupants with a wooden pole.
The two forced the occupants to crawl through the house before tying them up with wire. 
They then stole money, mobile phones and electronic equipment. Before making off in Prasad's vehicle, they threatened Prasad that they would kill him if he called the police.
The robbers then went to the bakery shop of the second victim, punched him in the face and took bread, cigarettes, money and another mobile phone.
The two were arrested by police hours later and confessed to their crimes.
In his ruling, Justice Madigan stated that, what was probably a joyride for the two was a night of terror for the victims.
He said the offences were committed at night resulting in a heightened state of fear for the victims, the two acted in concert as one fearsome force to invade private and commercial premises. 
Turagakula is to serve 12 and a half years imprisonment while Volau is sentenced to 12 years behind bars.

Health Commission Re-elect Previous Chairman Amid Tobacco Scandal

The previous chairman of Health Commission of the House of Representatives, Ribka Tjiptaning, of the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle, whose name has been mentioned in the report of the missing tobacco section in the new health regulation, had been re-elected to chair the commission for the next 2009 – 2014 term.
In the first meeting of the commission on Thursday, Ribka said “i have been officiated as the chairman.” 
The commission's 46 members also picked three deputies Ahmad Nizar Shihab (Democratic Party), Irghan Chairul (United Development Party), and Sumaryati Harjoso (Great Indonesia Movement Party). 
Former member of the commission have revealed earlier this month about the missing sectin to the public prompting bigger moves by consumers right and anti-corruption groups to attack stakeholders involved in the legislation.

Online Sales of E Cigarettes Expected to Rise Over the Holidays

As the holiday season approaches, many consumers are considering e-cigarettes
as an option for their loved ones who smoke.
GAINESVILLE, Fla., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Previously e cigarettes sales have
generally been tobacco smoking individuals purchasing the product for
themselves. However, Teresa Peach, an online sales associate for E-Cigarettes
National, reports an influx of callers wishing to purchase the product for
their loved ones that smoke. "Some of these callers are stating that they wish
to buy the electronic cigarette starter kit for their spouses or partners that
have been smoking for thirty or forty years." She has reported that many of
these callers believe that the electric cigarette might be last hope for them
to get their loved ones to switch from using tobacco.
Of course, this at least is not new knowledge. Many tobacco smokers have tried
to stop smoking many times and have failed over and over again. The electric
cigarette offers them an alternative to smoking tobacco, yet still allows them
to have the nicotine they want and to engage in the most realistic mock
smoking act available. "When smokers have tried everything they know of and
still continue to smoke, the e-cigarette might be the best bet for them to
reach that goal."
Many consumers are considering purchasing an e-cigarette kit for the holiday
season, according to Teresa. Because there are more choices of this product
available online than ever before, including different styles and different
strengths of nicotine liquid (including zero nicotine), it is making it easier
to pick a gift for a smoker than ever before.
Instead of giving a smoker they know and love another ugly tie or sweater that
they might never even use, some people claim they are giving their loved ones
a gift of a better life - one without tobacco.

Social-conscious fund added to Virginia 529

The Virginia College Savings Plan is adding an investment option under its VEST program that only invests in companies that meet specific social criteria.
In addition to financial health and growth potential, the Parnassus Equity Income Fund takes social factors into account when choosing companies to invest in. The fund avoids companies that manufacture tobacco and alcohol or are associated with gambling. It also avoids companies that make weapons or earn revenues from electricity generation from nuclear power.
“A growing number of our Virginia Education Savings Trust account owners have indicated an interest in a socially targeted investment option,” Virginia College Savings Plan CEO Mary Morris said in a statement. “After reviewing socially targeted funds, the board selected the Parnassus Equity Income Fund because of its history of solid returns, active management and low expense ratio in conjunction with its social criteria screens.”
The VEST plans offers 16 different investment options, including a mix of equity and fixed-income investments. The plan allows account owners to save for qualified higher education expenses, including tuition, textbooks, room and board, fees and computers.

Delaying Tobacco Authority Would Harm Public

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday will tell a federal judge in Kentucky that ordering the agency to delay enforcing new tobacco laws will have "devastating consequences" for public health.
The FDA is facing a challenge to its new tobacco powers, signed into law in June, from tobacco companies including Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) and Lorillard Inc. (LO). The companies say the law imposes unprecedented restrictions on their First Amendment rights and want a federal court in Bowling Green, Ky., to order a preliminary injunction to stop enforcement of the regulations. 
A judge for the District Court for the Western District of Kentucky is holding a hearing on the preliminary injunction request and could soon decide whether to grant the injunction. 
The law restricts tobacco companies from using color in most ads, bars them from saying certain products are less risky than others and stops them from selling tobacco products in combination with other items, such as soda and mouthwash.
"It is crucial to the public health that tobacco products not be marketed as reduced-risk products unless they will, in fact, reduce risks," the FDA said in a brief filed with the court. 
The companies want to be able to make claims in ads and on boxes that certain cigarettes contain smaller amounts of harmful ingredients, such as being low in tar, and are, therefore, less risky than other tobacco products. In their briefing documents, the companies argue that such information is truthful and should be given to consumers.
The FDA says such information gives consumers the "mistaken belief" that the products are safe to use. The agency will allow companies to make such claims only after they prove the product does reduce a consumers risk for tobacco-related diseases. That appears to be a high hurdle. The agency notes that medical devices and prescription drugs must go through a rigorous review process before they can be sold to treat or reduce the risk of disease. 
The companies say they aren't completely against the FDA authority to regulate tobacco, and that they support restrictions in marketing and advertising to children.

Tobacco Disappears From Health Law

A section regulating tobacco as an addictive substance in the newly passed Health Law has been removed despite approvals from the legislative and executive branch, a former lawmaker has revealed on Wednesday.
Hakim Sorimuda Pohan, a former member of the drafting committee of the health law who was no longer elected for the 2009-2014 term said on Wednesday during a discussion on “Corruption on Health Law” in Jakarta, that Section 2 of Article 113 could not be found in the final document at the House of Representatives.
The missing section was written as follow: ”Addictive substance as referred in section (1) includes tobacco; solid, liquid, and gas products that contain tobacco which are addictive and could harm its users and or their immediate surroundings.”
Hakim said the change could come from the legislative or the executive branch and said the Health Department have denied any knowledge about the change. Hakim said exclusion of the section is a criminal offense, and should be thoroughly investigated to bring the perpetrator(s) to justice.
Kartono Muhammad a health expert which was also a member of the drafting team said punishment should remain to be imposed to the perpetrators although the section could be automatically re-incorporated into the article.
Chairman of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (Yayasan lembaga Konsumen Indonesia) Tulus Abadi said this is the first time such crime was uncovered. While a researcher from the Political Corruption Division of the Indonesia Corruption Watch, Abdullah Dahlan said the section cold automatically be restored into the Law, as it has been passed during the house plenary session.

Nepal border village tense as Indian BSF men torture a local to death

Situation in bordering Bankul Bazar in Rautahat district remained tense on Sunday after a local died allegedly due to excessive torture of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) personnel.
Locals in the areas adjoining to India shut down Bankul Bazar village and staged demonstration against the alleged torture and subsequent death of Mukul Raya Yadav, 35. They also chanted strong slogans against the BSF and demanded compensation to the victim´s family and punishment for the guilty involved.
Nepali Security officials said that BSF personnel from Sitamadhi Base Camp at Jamuniya allegedly arrested and tortured Yadav of Surmajuwa VDC-8 in Rautahat district when he was on way to bordering Indian town of Ghodasan to sell tobacco on Saturday afternoon.
Family members said Yadav died a few hours after he arrived home following torture by the Indian border security personnel on Saturday night. He arrived home late night in critical condition after the BSF men set him free.
Yadav, before breathing his last, had told family members that BSF men detained him for four hours and beaten up severely for no apparent reason. The dead body has been taken to the district headquarter Gaur for post mortem.
Nepali authorities in Rautahat district has taken up the issue with the local Indian authorities over the incident.
Officials at Home Ministry said Indian authorities have assured that they would investigate the incident.
Locals in bordering villages have alleged that the BSF personnel have stepped up their excesses in recent months. They complain that BSF men often beat up and manhandle locals living in bordering areas of Bara, Parsa and Rautahat.

Big Tobacco Fights Disclosure of Low-Tar Dangers

Major cigarette makers plan to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider a May ruling that banned using words such a “light” and “low-tar” to sell cigarettes, and required them to disclose the dangers of smoking.
Altria Group Inc., Reynolds American Inc., and other makers want a federal court in Washington to delay implementing a May 22 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington which upheld a 2006 ruling which found the companies were guilty of violating federal racketeering laws by conspiring to lie about the dangers of smoking and were likely to do so in the future unless the court intervened.
The appeals court also wants the tobacco companies to publish statements that correct previous misstatements about addiction, smoking dangers, second-hand smoke dangers, and the dangers of “light” and “low-tar” cigarettes.
Omitting the descriptors would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and would “fundamentally alter the business landscape,” the cigarette makers argued.
This is the second time Big Tobacco has made that request to delay implementing the lower court ruling. On September 22, the appeals court denied the request, reports Reuters. 
Corporate Free Speech?
The major tobacco companies say the high court should consider open issues – The First Amendment free speech rights they enjoy; whether they should have been charged with racketeering; and whether the FDA’s takeover that now regulates tobacco deprives the court of jurisdiction.
The companies appealing to the high court include Altria Group Inc and its Philip Morris USA unit, British American Tobacco Plc, Lorillard Inc, and Reynolds American Inc and RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co.
The Clinton Administration originally filed the case a decade ago.
It was seeking nearly $300 billion in damages. Ontario, Canada has sued to recover about $46 billion in damages to taxpayers’ health and the associated costs over the last 50 years.

Allegheny County forced to cut no-smoking programs

PITTSBURGH - A lack of state funding is forcing a halt to most of Allegheny County's smoking cessation programs.
Tobacco Free Allegheny says it's facing a 50 percent cut in state funds, so it plans to dismantle nine of its 12 contracted programs after Wednesday.
Executive director Cindy Thomas said that tobacco prevention and cessation programs statewide will again see a reduction in the share of money they get as part of a settlement with the tobacco industry.
She says the programs reduce health care costs, because there are fewer tobacco-related diseases when people quit the habit.

CU-Boulder will lead drug-prevention program

School-violence-prevention experts at the University of Colorado netted a $12.1 million grant to implement a drug-prevention program in middle schools. 
CU's Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence will set up the program and monitor it at participating schools in 10 Southeastern states, expecting it to benefit 200,000 students over a three-year period, Director Delbert Elliott said. 
The Life Skills Training program has a track record of reducing students' use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs by 50 to 70 percent, CU said in a news release. 
The program identifies common misconceptions about substance abuse, and trains students how to deal with peer and media pressure. It also offers lessons on anger management and helps students build better relationships. 
The interactive training is delivered in 45-minute sessions that are held 15 times the first year, 10 times the second year and five the third year. Those subsequent "booster" programs help reinforce the messages, and lead to long-term prevention, Elliott said. 
Funding comes from cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris USA, through a program aimed at reducing young people's use of tobacco. 
"This is a question that we had to think about," Elliott said. "It's controversial. We had to weigh the fact that we are taking money from a tobacco company with the fact that, at the same time, we can have a major effect on the probability of kids smoking in those nine Southern states." 
Smoking rates among youth in those states -- Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland -- are higher than the national average. 
Nationally, 7 percent of eighth-graders reported smoking one or more cigarettes in the previous month and nearly a quarter of teenagers were smokers by the time they graduated from high school, according to 2007 National Institutes of Health statistics.

Cigarette linked to house fire

TOWN OF MAINE --Firefighters extinguished a fire in a Wausau-area home early Friday that investigators think was caused by a cigarette, according to the Marathon County Sheriff's Department.
Firefighters from the towns of Maine and Rib Mountain and the city of Wausau were called after the fire was reported at 12:57 a.m. at 3318 Elk Drive in the town of Maine. Roy Nowak, 61, who rents an upstairs bedroom at the two-story home, told investigators that he had been smoking in the room prior to discovering the fire, Sheriff's Lt. Dale Wisnewski said.
Nowak said he was watching television in the lower level of the home and when he returned to the upstairs room, he saw smoke and used a water hose to water down a mattress and box spring, Wisnewski said. Over the course of two hours, Nowak told deputies that he used the hose several times on the smoldering mattress before discovering a stairwell was on fire, Wisnewski said.
Nowak and the owner of the home, 54-year-old Beth Schwartz, fled from the home and reported the fire, police said. The blaze caused an estimated $50,000 worth of smoke, fire and water damage, Wisnewski said.
Both Nowak and Schwartz suffered from minor smoke inhalation, Wisnewski said.

More butts, not fewer, found after public service push to keep Knox beautiful

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — After a summertime public service campaign about cigarette butts in Knox County there are more of them, not fewer.

The group Keep Knoxville Beautiful launched the campaign after a canvass of 0.2 miles of Maynardville Highway on June 1 turned up 1,386 butts.

Volunteers collected the spent cigarettes again on Aug. 31 and found 1,493 of them.

Beautification group executive director Allison Teeters told The Knoxville News Sentinel she hopes the increase was because of the summer tourist season.

But Teeters said some people who would never think of throwing out other trash don't think twice about flipping a cigarette butt from a vehicle.

Teeters said the group plans to do another scan at the end of September.

Snuffing out a smart tax

As the legislature struggles to find enough revenue for the state's overdue budget, a tax on cigars and smokeless tobacco should be a no-brainer. But this is Harrisburg, where common sense usually faces an uphill battle.
Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation that doesn't impose an excise tax on smokeless tobacco. It is one of only two states - the other is Florida - that doesn't tax cigars.
Gov. Rendell has proposed taxing the products to bring in $38 million per year. A proposal by Rep. Dan Frankel (D., Allegheny), who is on the House Appropriations Committee, would use the same tax rate as cigarettes, raising $70 million annually.
But Senate Republicans yanked the stogies out of their mouths long enough to voice their opposition to this tax. They said essentially it's too small a number with which to concern themselves. Democratic leaders have resisted the tax, too.
Meanwhile, legislators are picking up sofa cushions in search of loose change to fill the state's budget gap. For example, they found $25 million for general operations hiding in the state liquor-store system. That's how small a number legislators are scrounging for. Yet, they forgo the tobacco tax.
The need for that levy is greater because the legislature is intent on making dumb moves such as granting certain large corporations in Pennsylvania a tax break. A proposed change in the "single sales" tax policy would drain $165 million from state coffers over two years. It should be ditched in favor of a more comprehensive overhaul of corporate taxes.

One stumbling block to reaching a final budget deal with Rendell is that the governor claims the legislature's revenue projections don't add up. As the week began, the two sides were about $400 million apart in their revenue estimates. A tobacco tax that adds $38 million, or $70 million, to the pot would certainly help.

Even better, the proposed tax on smokeless tobacco and cigars is what's known to policy geeks as "recurring revenue." That means it raises a predictable amount of revenue from year to year.

The tentative budget deal relies on many one-shot revenue sources, such as emptying the state's Rainy Day fund of its entire $750 million. That's an easy call for legislators this year, but it leaves the cupboard bare for next year, which increases the likelihood of having to raise another tax.

Aside from the math, there is an important policy statement to make with this tax: Snuff and cigars are bad for your health. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids said 16- to 25-year-olds in Pennsylvania use smokeless tobacco at twice the national average. Some smokeless tobacco brands are flavored to appeal more to youths. Raising the tax on cigarettes, but failing to tax cigars and snuff, could encourage more young people to use these products.

Pennsylvania's tobacco industry, based in Lancaster County, is not large. Imposing this sensible tax would hit a relatively small number of consumers, and would raise needed revenue in a budget year filled with unkind cuts.

Do You Have A Guilty Conscience Becasue You Smoke Cigarettes

If you are still a cigarette smoker and you feel guilty every time you light one, rest assured, you are not alone. Smokers can suffer a tremendous amount of anxiety because they use tobacco. They smoke it or chew it everyday, which means they probably feel guilty everyday. Smokers can also feel ashamed because they still smoke or chew because they know for a fact how deadly it is for them to continue to do it. They know they are cutting their life short. They know they will likely spend less time with their family and friends because they will likely die sooner than they should. They know their smoking related illnesses and diseases are likely to be a burden on their loved ones one day.

So, why is it that smokers just keep on smoking if they have to deal with all of these thoughts of guilt and shame when they light up a cigarette? That is something that even smokers themselves can not usually answer. All they know is that when they do not get a cigarette when they want one, it usually drives them crazy. It sounds simple enough, but actually what smoking does to the body is anything but simple. How the body reacts to when they smoke is not simple. It involves a lot of brain activity that is normal, but the components and chemicals in the in the tobacco smoke causes the brain to react differently than normal, more of certain brain chemicals are released than should be, and the structure of cells can be altered. It is indeed a lot more complicated than a simple craving.

All of these changes in the body, the emotional attachment to smoking, and the addiction to the nicotine and other things in the tobacco are all part of the reason that a smoker deals with the guilt and shame they might feel because they smoke. Without serious intervention, a determined willpower, or even medical treatment, many smokers could never overcome their tobacco use. It is so much more than just a matter of wanting a cigarette and giving in to that want.

Anytime you introduce foreign substances into the body, the body will have a reaction of some kind. It can be good and bad at the same time. Smoking tobacco, just like many other drugs, makes the user feel good in some ways while causing damage to their body at the same time. They can either stop the damage by stop using the drug, but they must give up the thing that makes them feel so good that they ae addicted to both physically and psychologically. Human being do things they might feel guilty about all of the rime and smoking cigarettes is no exception.

Smokers to be turfed outside, then walled in

PUBS will be forced to build a wall through the middle of their beer gardens to separate smokers from non-smokers. 
The Territory will be the last jurisdiction to ban smoking in pubs - forcing smokers outside on January 2, 2010. 
But Health Minister Kon Vatskalis yesterday said that ban would go further after 12 months - with mandatory non-smoking areas in beer gardens as well. 
Pubs will then be forced to designate half of the beer garden as "non-smoking" from January 2, 2011. 
Mr Vatskalis said pubs could install a wall dividing these areas or create a three metre buffer area. 
Staff will not be allowed to serve customers in the smoking area. 
"Let common sense prevail. We've got people who smoke - it's still a legal product - and these people want to go out the same way the people who don't smoke want to go out," he said. 
Mr Vatskalis said a Tobacco Action Taskforce would be formed to make the transition "as smooth as possible". 
Smoker Andrew Morrison said he was often treated like a social leper, but would not mind the changes - provided there would always be a smoking area. 
Australian Hotels Association NT chief executive Amy Williamson said she was looking forward to working with the Government on these changes, but said there was still not enough information about the indoor ban - which starts in three months. 
But Mr Vatskalis said there was no more to give.
"No smoking inside the pubs. It's as simple as that. There are no more details on that one," he said. 
Mr Vatskalis said the Territory was the "last bastion" of smoking - with 36 per cent of us lighting up regularly. 
He suggested the laws may restrict smokers further with public support. 
"Smoking is going out of fashion," he said. 
"Things have changed, so we have changed."

Rs. 35.9 million worth of foreign cigarettes confiscated by customs

A consignment of illicit foreign cigarettes worth about Rs.35.9 million, illegally brought in disguised as passenger luggage, had been seized by the Sri Lanka Customs Revenue Supervision Dept. yesterday.
The stock of foreign cigarettes, allegedly declared as passenger luggage, had been flown in fraudulently using names and addresses of returnees form the Middle East. The loss of tax revenue to the government by this was approximately Rs.109, 000,000. These cigarettes were destroyed yesterday by the National Narcotics and Tobacco Authority.
According to Customs 4,792,000 cigarettes (23960 cartons) valued at Rs.35, 940,000 had been destroyed. 
The search was carried out on the instructions of Assistant Director Customs Jayantha Ponnamperuma.

Oregon moves to block e-cigarette sales

The Oregon Attorney General's Office is suing an electronic cigarettes importer that sells plastic devices marketed as being safer than regular tobacco cigarettes. 
Attorney General John Kroger filed the lawsuit Tuesday, the same day a county in New York banned sales of what's called e-cigarettes to minors; both moves are the first of their kinds in the nation. 
Typically imported from China, e-cigarettes look like traditional cigarettes, down to their battery-powered glowing red tip. Instead of burning, e-cigarettes vaporize certain mixtures, which can include liquid nicotine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has not approved the sale of e-cigarettes, recently reported that a test of 19 brands found more than half contained a cancer-causing substance. 
Kroger has filed suit against Florida-based Smoking Everywhere Inc., which had refused state requests to restrict its sales, and its chief executive, Elico Taieb. 
Meanwhile, Smoking Everywhere and a major importer, Sottera Inc., are suing the FDA in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., claiming the agency doesn't have the authority to regulate their product. 
Smoking Everywhere has continued to operate in Oregon as the federal case proceeds, Tuesday's lawsuit contends. Kroger already has reached an agreement with Sottera, maker of the Njoy brand, to halt sales here. 
"It's my duty to protect the public from products that are falsely advertised as safe," said Kroger, who has said that e-cigarettes' flavored options are a further concern as they may appeal to young people.

The Emotional Withdrawal From Tobacco Cigarettes

Have you ever been around someone you like really well only to have these feelings change because this person might be trying to quit smoking? When some people try to quit their whole personality seems to change. The longer they succeed in staying away from those cigarettes the worse their personality seems to get. Sometimes it feels like you are the one that this person hates the most as you might receive all of their anger. It can become so bad that you might want to give them that cigarette or a punch in the face.

When a person tries to quit smoking their bodies will go through an emotional withdrawal as well as a personal withdrawal. Their mind is fighting their body by trying to trick themselves into smoking that cigarette. They might beat themselves this time, but maybe not the next. The really bad thing is that you might find yourself in the middle. This person will lash out at whoever is closest sometimes saying the most nasty things they can think of trying to get this person to either go away or give them a cigarette. If this is you or it happened to you, are you still friends with that person.

A lot of you might realize that you have lost some of your friends even if you lost the battle and went back to smoking. This could be one reason why every time you try to quit you fail. You have probably tried all of the items on the market only to find that they will not work for you. Most of you that have tried those patches and even the gum will find that you still get the nicotine, but get no satisfaction for the other part of this habit. This would be the holding of that cigarette itself. This part of smoking is just as important in the habit as all the rest.

If you go want to try something different that might will give you the satisfaction of nicotine without many of the other side effects, you might want to give the e-cigarette a try. You might find that you like this type of smoking device so well that you will be able to get away from the tobacco cigarettes for good. With one of these you are not really smoking, but you get your nicotine and still have this look-a-like cigarette in your fingers and mouth. You can quit these at your own pace if you wish too as you can lower the amount of nicotine you receive just by changing the filters you use.

Cigar shops fret over higher taxes, smoking laws

NEW ORLEANS — With the world becoming ever less welcoming for tobacco smoke of all kinds, the owners of specialty shops that sell premium cigars have converged on New Orleans with the same concerns as mass-market cigarette manufacturers — higher taxes and anti-smoking laws.
The cigars at the annual trade show of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association are not the packaged stogies found in an isolated corner of a convenience store. These are hand-rolled smokes — sometimes with Cuban seed tobacco grown in a non-embargoed country — that can go from a couple of bucks to $30 each.
"It's tough," said Chris McCalla, legislative director for Columbus, Ga.-based IPCRA, which represents about 1,500 tobacco stores. "People view us in the same category of cigarettes. With a cigar, it's different. It's a pleasurable experience. It's socialization of sorts."
Mark Twain once said he always tried not to smoke two cigars at once. Winston Churchill smoked cigars in peacetime and wartime. A cigar was more than just a prop for Groucho Marx. John F. Kennedy enjoyed puffing — although he barred the import of Cuban cigars during his showdowns with another cigar aficionado, Fidel Castro, who later claimed to have quit smoking. And, in modern times, Rush Limbaugh often associates himself with a premium cigar.
"The cigar continues to have a unique place in the hearts of a lot of men," said Norm Sharp, president of the Cigar Association of America, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group of distributors and manufacturers. "There are a lot of aficionados out there."
And many detractors, including the American Cancer Society, which has said that cigars — as well as pipes — are not a safe substitute for cigarettes and carry much of the same cancer risk.
IPCRA estimates there are 12 to 13 million cigar smokers in the United States, who puff an average of two a week, ranging from several a day to the special-event-only smoker, McCalla said.
When Congress hiked cigarette taxes earlier this year, cigars did not escape the attention of lawmakers, who imposed a tax increase between about 5 cents and 40 cents per cigar. The industry now fears that state legislatures, many of which are trying to close big budget gaps, will follow suit.
"Tobacco is considered low-hanging fruit for taxation," Sharp said.
And cigars are among the active targets for anti-smoking groups.
Although only Delaware, Washington state and Utah ban puffing in tobacco establishments, the city of Galveston, Texas, recently passed a clean air ordinance that forbids smoking in a planned cigar lounge — a store that provides a room for cigar-lovers to visit and enjoy their tobacco.
Owner Charlie Head, who plans to open Sept. 1 after his previous store was wiped out by Hurricane Ike, said it's ridiculous to think people who don't smoke would even come inside his business, which includes lockers for smokers to store their cigars and liquor they bring in.
"We're going ahead with it," Head said. "But a big part of our business is locker rental."
Head said he hoped to win an exemption for his shop before the ban takes effect on Jan. 1.
Even before the spread of cigarette smoking bans, cigars and pipes received a chilly reception in many places. Airliners that used to permit cigarettes wouldn't allow cigars and pipes. And many smoking bars today are actually cigarette-only bars — don't light up that cigar or pipe, a sign often says.
As a result, cigar smoking has become largely a private activity, McCalla said, with the cigar lounge or cigar bar a popular gathering place.
"Most cigar smokers would like to sit down comfortably and smoke with others," he said.
The recession has cut into business, said Doug Winston, manager of the New Orleans Cigar Co., a 700-square-foot store in the downtown district. To start with, go-outside-to-smoke rules are making shorter cigars more popular.
"With the tax and the economy, people also seem to be going to the lesser-expensive cigars," Winston said.
As for the convention itself, which is hosting about 4,000 people through Wednesday, smoking will be allowed in the exhibit hall between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. But members of the public aren't invited to the meeting — and no one under 18 will be let in, McCalla said.

Cigarette tax not a long-term solution

Juneau voters may have to vote in October on a proposed tax increase on cigarettes, from 30 cents to $1 per pack. This Juneau Assembly proposal is bad for small businesses, bad for taxpayers and a poor source of revenue for the city. 

The tax proposal before Juneau citizens would direct revenues from this tax increase to social service programs and a recovery center for people addicted primarily to alcohol. A higher tax on cigarettes is an unrelated source of funds for these programs. Also, it would be inappropriate to tax a segment of the Juneau population to generate more revenue for the entire city. 

There are other, more responsible ways to deal with Juneau's budget problems. City leaders should first attempt to keep expenses in line with income. A tax increase on cigarettes is not a viable long-term solution.

Fewer reported cases of student drug and cigarette use in Fiji

Fiji’s ministry of educations says fewer students are smoking cigarettes and taking drugs compared to two years ago.
According to the Education Ministry’s National Substance Abuse Advisory Council, drug-related offences in schools have declined by 44 per cent.
Fijilive reports it said 147 marijuana cases were reported to the Ministry of Education in 2007, but this dropped to 80 in 2008.
Similarly, reported cases of cigarette smoking amongst students also dropped by 4 per cent.
The ministry has attributed the decline to the concerted effort of those involved in awareness programmes targeting students.

Man arrested in cigarette thefts

DENHAM SPRINGS — Deputies arrested a Denham Springs man accused of stealing $10,000 worth of cigarettes, a spokesman for the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
“It’s not your normal case of shoplifting,” Chief Deputy Jason Ard said. “It was a little strange.”
Ard said the operators of Murphy’s Express, at the corner of La. 16 and Arnold Road, had noticed for a while that the store was missing cigarettes.
Through a review of videotape “that provided a pretty clear picture,” they determined that a man was picking up cartons of cigarettes, entering the men’s room nearby when nobody was looking and shoving the cartons down his pants legs, Ard said.
Investigators later learned that someone was selling $50 cartons of cigarettes for $25 and put the facts together, Ard said.
Deputies arrested Clifton Simmons, 27, 903 Willow Brook in Denham Springs, on five counts of felony theft, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies recovered two suitcases filled with cigarettes in Simmons’ kitchen and more cigarettes in one of his closets, Ard said, adding that investigators recovered about 20 of the 200 cartons they believe Simmons stole. Simmons didn’t appear to have a preference on brands, but just took whatever was available, Ard said.
Simmons had other people working for him who helped to sell the smokes, Ard said.
Simmons, arrested Sunday, remained in the Livingston Parish Detention Center in lieu of $50,000 bond Tuesday afternoon, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

In successful Melrose undercover test, teens not sold cigarettes

Ruth Clay, director of the Melrose Health Department, announced that an undercover tobacco compliance check was recently performed on July 27, under the oversight of Kara Showers, Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition coordinator for the Melrose Health Department.

Two 16-year-old girls, working with the Coalition, attempted to purchase cigarettes from all businesses in Melrose selling tobacco products.

According to Clay, none of the businesses sold cigarettes to the teens.

This is an improvement from a previous compliance check held by the Coalition earlier this year in March, when one business sold cigarettes to a minor.

Mall kiosk challenged for selling 'electronic cigarettes'

Anti-smoking activists are pushing Jordan Creek Town Center managers to evict a kiosk selling "electronic cigarettes."
The battery-operated devices contain no tobacco, and they don't emit smoke, but activists worry they will lure young people into inhaling noxious fumes.
The sleek kiosk, called Smoking Everywhere, opened a few weeks ago in the West Des Moines mall.
It offers small white-and-tan devices that look like cigarettes. Instead of tobacco smoke, they give off a heated vapor containing nicotine, which is the most addictive part of cigarettes.
Kiosk manager Joshua Ross said he doesn't understand why there's a fuss about his wares. "What you inhale is steam. It's about the same as what comes off a bowl of soup," he said, puffing on a demonstrator model. The vapor he exhaled had very little odor.
Ross touts his product as a safer alternative for people who want to quit or cut down on smoking.
"I guarantee you, cigarettes will kill you 20 times faster," he said.
The American Lung Association isn't buying it. The group recently wrote to mall managers, asking them to evict the stand, which is upstairs near the Baby Gap and Bath & Body Works stores.
"Due to the fact that Jordan Creek Town Center is a family-oriented environment and an establishment many young people frequent, we believe it is crucial that you remove this vendor from your mall immediately, not only for the health of mall employees but also mall guests," the association wrote to the mall's leaders. The group is asking its members to write to mall managers with similar requests.
Kerry Wise, the lung association's director of mission services, noted in an interview that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently put out a warning about e-cigarettes.
The warning said the devices could contain cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins, including diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze.
Wise said she is unclear whether the devices are safer than real cigarettes.
"The research isn't there on it," she said.
She said she was unsure whether the mall could legally break its lease with the kiosk, which is owned by a Kansas City company.
Wise said she is particularly worried about the fact that the devices come in flavors, including chocolate and vanilla.
"That targets a younger audience," she said.
Ross pointed to a sign on his kiosk, reading: "Must be 18 to try or buy."
He said the rule is strictly enforced.
Ross said he doesn't know of any other retailers selling e-cigarettes in the Des Moines area, though he said such stands are common around the country.
He dismissed the FDA's warning as "propaganda." He said most of his customers already are smokers who want to curtail or quit their habits. The e-cigarettes also allow them to get their nicotine in many nonsmoking areas, including bars, malls and even most airplanes.
"People tell me it's the best thing they've ever done," he said.
Many of the devices are sold online, including by Ross' brand. The company's Web site offers the "Freedom to Smoke Anywhere." It features glamorous people using the product. "Looks like a cigarette. Feels like a cigarette. Tastes like a cigarette. But it isn't a cigarette," the site says.
Ross said the devices are cheaper than cigarettes, which have shot up in price because of recent federal and state tax increases. The metal e-cigarettes cost about $180, but their refill cartridges are only $3. Each cartridge is equal to about two packages of cigarettes, which could cost $14, he said.
Randy Tennison, the mall's general manager, did not respond to requests for comment. Wise said mall managers have not responded to her group, either.